Left Brain, Right Brain: Organization Tips for How You Think and Work

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The best way to get and stay organized is to figure out solutions that work for you—which means understanding a little bit about your personality and the way you think.

One way to figure out what works best for your thinking style is the left-brain/right-brain theory. If you’re more “right-brained,” you may be more creative and artistic, while those of us who are “left-brained” might be more logical, analytical and methodical. It’s based on research conducted in the 1960s by psychobiologist and Nobel Prize winner Roger W. Sperry.

While it may not be true that any one person is completely left-brained or right-brained, it’s true that everyone thinks about organization in different ways. What may work for someone when it comes to organizing clothes or shoes may not work for another person.

Left-brained thinking is associated with:

Logic

Linear thinking

Math

Order/structure

Left-brained people might find it easier to get and stay organized because they seek order and appreciate categorizing things.

When it comes to organizing your living spaces, you likely thrive when everything is in its right place. It means that rather than let items sit unorganized in a junk drawer, you’d rather use a drawer organizer to separate everything.

Left-brain thinkers may also find that jewelry organizers, which help keep bracelets, necklaces and pairs of earrings separate, are preferable to jewelry boxes with large compartments.

In other parts of the house, bins that fit within cubbies keep things out of sight, as do roll-outs in a pantry, linen closet or bedroom closet. Baskets on shelves can also help to keep things organized, separate and easy to get to.

Neutral colors, such as gray, white and tan, may appeal to left-brained folks who are looking for a streamlined look where function rules.

On the other hand, right-brained thinking is associated with:

Intuition

Arts

Creativity and imagination

Imagery

Daydreaming

Right-brainers tend to be driven by emotion, creativity and color more than logic and order. Home organization may not come naturally to right-brainers—but that doesn’t mean there aren’t organization solutions that appeal to them.

Visuals appeal to right-brained people, which mean that plenty of open storage may appeal to them. Capitalize on that by choosing accessories like wire baskets that enable you to see what’s in them and open storage such as cubbies and shelves.

And if staying organized is a challenge, work to make small changes that mean you and your family’s stuff has a place. For example, if you frequently leave your work bag near your entryway door or your coat never makes it to the closet, add hooks near the door to hang your everyday items. It’s one small way to create a specific place for an item or two so you always know where they are—and they’re off the floor.

Whether you’re left-brained, right-brained or something in between, one answer to your home organization woes may be a custom solution. Whether it’s a walk-in closet, reach-in closet, pantry or home office, a custom solution can include accessories that appeal to you, however you think.